Irving ISD aims to fix glitches in computer program

By eSchool News

May 29th, 2008

The Irving, Texas, school district’s ambitious technology initiative has put laptop computers into the hands of 7,000 high school students, but officials say they have to fix some glitches that go beyond hardware, the Dallas Morning News reports. Teachers have not incorporated the laptops into classwork as much as hoped, the equipment is aging, and repairs take too long, Superintendent Jack Singley said at a school board meeting last week. Some trustees also said their constituents are beginning to question whether the district will deliver on its goal of one laptop per student. Currently, 1,100 students do not have the machines. Irving trustee Nancy Jones said voters mentioned concerns about the effectiveness of the program nearly every day during her recent campaign for school board. "I think the public is very aware that the kids need technology. They just want to make sure the laptops are being used for educational purposes," she said…